Books.

[DornochCaley]

Probably been a thread on this but oh well...

Just put any recommended books in here!

- I have recently just finished reading 'Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life' and it was amazing to say the least.

- Now i have moved onto 'The Forgotten Highlander' which is written by a 91 year old who fought against the Japanese in WWII and somehow survived endless pain after working on the death railway ect.

[DornochCaley]

Mods, any chance this might be able to get pinned? So it doesn't fall down the pecking order and needs to be fished out after every book finished by someone?

[mikeyboy]

'Mohammed Maguire'- Colin Bateman. Just read it

'Gates of Rome'- Conn Iggulden. Historical fiction about Julius Caesar

'The Devils Desciple' Glenn Meade. Great thriller about a nutcase murderer.

Yes I know my descriptions of the books are excellent:_thumbup:

Just take my word for it.

[dan_ict]

Frankie Boyle - my sh#t life so far. Brilliant :D

[NigeyBear]

Fight Club by Chuck Palahnuik - better than the film; a must read if you haven't seen the film.

I can't remember who it is by but Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse is an excellent read. It's just a guy that works on the oil rigs writing some of the stories that have happened to him but SUCH a good book; by far the funniest thing I have ever read.

[Tug]

Hellfire by Ed Macy :- Excellent book about the AAC in afghanistan flying the apaches

The Junior Officers Reading Club :- a very interesting read highlighting the contrast in work and conditions experienced by a junior cavalry officer

[Snow]

Have just finished Travels With Charley, in Search of America by John Steinbeck. Enjoyed it.

Next up, Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami. ('Marukami must already rank among the world's greatest living novelists' Guardian)

[WYNESS101]

I am reading MR UNBELIEVABLE the autobiography off Chris Kamara

[Kieran]

Mr Nice by Howard Marks. Basically it's the autobiography of a hash smuggler, there's a film based on his life being released later on this year I believe starring Rhys Ifans.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini is also worth a read, telling the story of two women's lives and the hardships they face living in Afghanistan.

[Dmacca]

Not a great book reader, havent got the patience, the last book I read was

SLASH by Slash, Anthony Bozza

[RiG]

I recently bought a book on the Dornoch Light Railway. Not read it yet but looks to be quite interesting.

[+jagster]

I'm reading Neil Olivers book - Amazing Tales for making men out of boys - It,s a collection of stories like The Cockleshell Heroes, The birkenhead Drill etc.

It reads with the story of Scott of the Antartic in the background - goes on to a different story - then back to Scott of The Antartic - this is a superb read and worth getting a shot of from the library etc

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amazing-Tales-Making-Men-Boys/dp/0141035595#reader_0141035595

[Johnboy]

On my bedside cabinet at the moment is "50 People who buggered up Britain" by journalist Quentin Letts.

This is great stuff, and very few escape Letts wrath.

The 50 include Tony Blair, Cherie Blair, Gordon Brown, Alistair Campbell, Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana, John McEnroe and even dear old Alex Ferguson who he describes as a man who can make the simple act of chewing gum appear aggressive.

[Caley Stan]

Next up, Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami. ('Marukami must already rank among the world's greatest living novelists' Guardian)

I find his novels very pleasant to read but they tend to leave me feeling a little empty in the end. 'Norwegian Wood' and 'A Wild Sheep Chase' are both worth a look. Some of his short stories are nice. Tell us what you think of Sputnik Sweetheart when you finish it.

I'm nearly finished Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'. I've tried to read it about 5 times in the past 10 years and never got past the first chapter where the weird sciency feel of the whole thing kept freaking me out (i've always suffered from an aversion to science fiction of any kind, but i think i'm getting over it). Huxley has lots to say in this novel and i'm still not sure what to make of it all. Will update.

[Caley Stan]

On my bedside cabinet at the moment is "50 People who buggered up Britain" by journalist Quentin Letts.

A truly repulsive character in every way. Does he find a place for himself in the 50?

[Caley Mad In Berks]

I recently bought a book on the Dornoch Light Railway. Not read it yet but looks to be quite interesting.

Really, what was it called? I didn't know they sold books. Did you manage to get a cup of tea too?

Seriously, I recently read " Life of Pi", by Jan Martell, and would thoroughly recommend it.

[The Mantis]

I'm nearly finished Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'. I've tried to read it about 5 times in the past 10 years and never got past the first chapter where the weird sciency feel of the whole thing kept freaking me out (i've always suffered from an aversion to science fiction of any kind, but i think i'm getting over it). Huxley has lots to say in this novel and i'm still not sure what to make of it all. Will update.

Feck me, I read that at school, must have been 1972, 'All the Young Dudes' made a bigger impression on me that year.

Is it not just a straightforward satire?

[Snow]

Next up, Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami.

I find his novels very pleasant to read but they tend to leave me feeling a little empty in the end. 'Norwegian Wood' and 'A Wild Sheep Chase' are both worth a look. Some of his short stories are nice.

I'm nearly finished Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World'.

I haven't started Sputnik Sweetheart yet and haven't read any of his work before. Must confess I chose SS primarily because it was the thinnest (!) Murakami I could find. Had I realised there was a collection of short stories available I'd probably have gone for that. (Was told by a friend in Denmark just last night that Norwegian Wood has been made into a film and is due for release later this year.)

Brave New World was also a compulsory read for me, either at school or university, can't remember which now. I share your aversion to all things science-fiction and would certainly not read such a thing for pleasure.

[Caley Stan]

Feck me, I read that at school, must have been 1972, 'All the Young Dudes' made a bigger impression on me that year.

Is it not just a straightforward satire?

Well, yeah, but full of comment on human nature, governmemt, technology, capitalism etc. My interest here is in the conflict between individual freedom and social stability.

Unfortunately, i've been on the p1ss and haven't finished it yet. Mott The Hoople is about as heavy as it'll be getting for me tonight........

[DornochCaley]

Finished reading "The Forgotten Highlander" and i would highly recommend it. At times he wanders on about his family and what he used to get up to when he was younger and you wonder where it is going, but it does get there. Truly great book which really shows you how POW's were treated by the Japanese. It shocked me to read it as it is a huge crime against humanity which is largely untold by the world today.

[StockholmSyndrome]

I can definitely recommend "Firewall", "Before The Frost", "Faceless Killers", "The Pyramid" and "The Return of the Dancing Master", all by Henning Mankell. I seem to have spent most of the year reading detective fiction, and Mankell is one of the best.

[alternative maryhill]

Been reading quite a lot in the last few weeks because of the school holidays:

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz

American Tabloid by James Ellroy

Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd (pretty OTT and not really worth reading but had to finish it)

Carry Me Down by MJ Hyland

Unreliable Sources - John Simpson's latest, about how newspapers reported the major events of the 20th century

Strange Days Indeed: the Golden Age of Paranoia by Francis Wheen - about the 1970s - highly recommended

I've also reread Hamlet and The Great Gatsby, and a few critical essays about each, as I'm probably going to teach them next year.

If anyone is interested in good quality American crime fiction, get hold of Clockers or Lush Life by Richard Price, who was one of the writers on The Wire - both completely absorbing.

[DornochCaley]

Since its during the Holidays and i have no money to buy any new Xbox games, i have been reading like maad. Just finished Nineteen Eighty Four. While it's understandable why many would dislike it. Saying it is boring, i have to say it was fantastic IMO. Couldn't put it down and the sheer thought Orwell put into the book is mighty in itself. It is powerful and one of the greatest books written by, in my opinion, one of the greatest authors ever.

[Libero]

Since its during the Holidays and i have no money to buy any new Xbox games, i have been reading like maad. Just finished Nineteen Eighty Four. While it's understandable why many would dislike it. Saying it is boring, i have to say it was fantastic IMO. Couldn't put it down and the sheer thought Orwell put into the book is mighty in itself. It is powerful and one of the greatest books written by, in my opinion, one of the greatest authors ever.

Ive often thought about getting it but always seem to opt for somehting else, might give it a try

[Yngwie]

Just finished Nineteen Eighty Four.

Hopefully it puts an end to your communist tendencies! I read it in the 1980s when the parallels with the USSR were stark. It was probably the only set text at school that had any impact on me.